Election season do's and don'ts for DOD personnel

 By Katie Lange |  Defense.gov | August 27 | 2020

WASHINGTON -- It's election season again – that time when federal, state and local political campaigns kick into high gear. Whether you're extremely involved in politics or you aren’t even registered to vote, the Defense Department has expectations for the way its military service members and civilian employees conduct themselves during this time.

Here are some of the most notable guidelines:

Voting

Active-duty military and civilian employees are encouraged to take part in their civic duty by voting. In fact, DOD voting assistance is provided through the Federal Voting Assistance Program.

Attending Events

Service members can attend rallies, debates, conventions, political club meetings and fundraising events – but only as a spectator. Members of the Armed Forces – active-duty, Reserve or retired – cannot wear their uniforms at these events, unless they're members of the color guard at a national convention.

Opinions/Donations

DOD employees are also allowed to make personal monetary donations and express their personal opinions on candidates and issues, but service members just can’t do so as a representative of the Armed Forces.

Employees can write letters to the editor of a news outlet expressing their personal views -- as long as they're not part of an organized letter-writing campaign or are soliciting votes for a party, cause or candidate. Most importantly, the letter must make it clear that the views expressed are solely the writer's and NOT those of the DOD.

Signage

DOD personnel can put their favorite party, cause or candidate's bumper sticker on their car, but no large political signs, banners or posters can be displayed on their car or home. This includes those who live on a military installation in a privatized housing development.

Prohibited Activities

Service members and civilian employees are to refrain from partisan political activities. Any political activity they take part in should – as stated above -- clearly avoid implying DOD sponsorship, approval or endorsement of a candidate, campaign or cause.

Prohibited activities include:

Campaigning for a candidate

Soliciting contributions

Marching in a partisan parade

Writing signed partisan political articles, letters or endorsements in an attempt to solicit votes

Performing any duty for a political committee or candidate during a campaign

Social Media

Your actions online can affect your career and the DOD just as much as they can in person. That's why the department also issues guidelines for active-duty service members, active-duty National Guardsmen and federal employees.

DOD employees are allowed to express their own views on issues and candidates, like in a letter to a news outlet. However, if they are identified on their account as active-duty, the post MUST say that the views expressed are their own and not those of the DOD.

DOD personnel shouldn't participate in partisan political activities online, either, which includes posting direct links to a political party, candidate, campaign, group or cause. That's considered the equivalent of distributing literature on behalf of those entities, which is prohibited.

Similarly, service members and civilian employees can "friend," "follow" or "like" a political party, candidate or cause, but they can't engage in political activities on those pages. For example, they can't suggest that others "like," "friend" or "follow" that page, and they can't forward an invitation or solicitation from that page to others.

Active-duty members are subject to additional restrictions based on Joint Ethics Regulations, the Uniform Code of Military Justice and service-specific rules.

Service member who aren’t on active-duty are NOT subject to the above restrictions, but they are required to make it clear that their actions are their own and not endorsed, approved or sponsored by the DOD.

When Can Candidates or Officials Visit Military Facilities?

Political candidates and other elected or appointed officials may access DOD installations and facilities to conduct official business or various other activities. However, they are NOT allowed to engage in campaign or election-related activities, including:

Town hall meetings

Speeches

Public assemblies

Fundraisers

News conferences

Post-election celebrations or concession addresses

This restriction applies to overseas installations and areas under control of U.S. military combat or peacekeeping forces.

FOD: Master Sgt. Kurt Ranes, Impact of foreign object debris to Air Forc...

Nashville Air Guard Units Build Remote Workstations in Readiness Push

 ASHVILLE | TN | UNITED STATES | 07.17.2020 |Story by Staff Sgt. Anthony Agosti 

Several units at the 118th Wing, Tennessee Air National Guard trained for working in field conditions in tents July 15, 2020 at Berry Field Air National Guard Base, Nashville, Tennessee.

The exercise, which was inspired by the 2018 National Defense Strategy, was primarily focused on building readiness within the wing and preparing Airmen for working in deployed locations.

“We have to get back to our roots operating in tents and with minimal infrastructure, so we can sustain our combat operations when and where directed,” said Maj. Nash LeGrand, the chief of plans for the 118th Wing. “This exercise was a step in restoring that readiness here at the 118th.”

Airmen from the 118th Mission Support Group, 118th Medical Group, and 118th Wing staff all worked together in setting up tents and workstations to function from. Following this, 118th Civil Engineer Squadron connected power and air conditioning to the tents, while 118th Communications Flight set up network and computer capabilities.

Once power and networks were established, the 118th Comptroller Flight conducted finance operations, the 118th MDG set up medical stations, and the 118th Services Flight cooked and served a meal from the tents.

“Something as simple as building a tent actually takes teamwork, it takes effective communication,” said Tech. Sgt. Amanda Bishop, the quality assurance manager for the 118th CPTF. “I think the purpose of this exercise was for our leadership to remind us that we are Airmen first before we are technical experts in our field.”

While things generally proceeded smoothly, leadership believes there is still room for improvement.

“As we get better at the individual pieces, we will start adding layers of complexity into our scenarios, training and exercises to simulate as best as possible a full-on deployment,” said LeGrand. “It's good to see the wing come together as a team, get outside the mindset of day-to-day operations and really focus on the readiness.”

Travis firefighters help community battle Solano wildfires

 TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE | CA | UNITED STATES | 08.21.2020 | Story by Nicholas Pilch 

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Airmen from the 60th Civil Engineer Squadron responded to the LNU Lightning Complex Fire to support the Vacaville Fire Protection District’s firefighting effort, Aug. 19, 2020.

The fire started in Napa, California, as the result of a lightning storm and quickly spread through the area to Vacaville and Fairfield ¬¬– both of which border Travis AFB. Tens of thousands were forced to evacuate their homes in Napa and Solano counties through the duration of the day.

In the early hours of Aug. 19th, Travis AFB initially dispatched a four-man crew to the Cherry Glenn area to safeguard homes. Over the course of next 48 hours, the base dispatched 28 firefighters with Beale AFB contributing an additional eight firefighters, four from a specialty wildfire unit. The 36 firefighters were dispatched to 10 locations.

“A lot of the fire was not directly near the road,” said Kevin Bouillon, 60th CES battalion chief. “The crews had to connect hoses together that reached as long as a thousand feet because the fire needed to be extinguished.”

The 60th CES dispatched five trucks in total, one normally being a specialty truck used to put out fires on aircraft.

“Containing the fire is difficult because winds shifted later in the day,” said Staff Sgt. James Muncy, 60th CES crew chief. “Trees were falling, and various fires were reigniting.”

Muncy also said the fire needed as much containment as possible, so more crews dispatched from Travis AFB.

Ricardo Campos, 60th CES captain, and his crew were initially dispatched near Interstate 80; however, they were re-routed to prevent the destruction of a neighborhood near Sales Lane in Fairfield.

“If the fire broke through, there it would’ve been possible for that fire to take out acres of land passing through those residences and would destroy possibly hundreds of acres of residential homes past it,” said Campos.

As of Aug. 21, firefighters from across the county are actively trying to contain the fire in Napa and Solano counties.

“A fire this size, there is no way you can contain it in a day,” said Bouillon. “The ongoing relationship with the local stations allows us to assist in working a fire like this.”

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firefighter,emergency response,fire department,wildfires,firefighting,readyaf

Battalion Landing Team 1/4 honors Marines, Sailor at memorial service

 MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON | CA | UNITED STATES | 08.21.2020 | Story by 1st Lt. Pedro Caballero 

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – Service members and families gathered on the morning of Aug. 21 to pay tribute to nine fallen service members of Bravo Company, Battalion Landing Team 1/4, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

The memorial was held at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton’s Camp Horno area to honor eight Marines and a Sailor from the 15th MEU who died in an assault amphibious vehicle mishap July 30:

Pfc. Bryan J. Baltierra, 18, of Corona, California

Lance Cpl. Marco A. Barranco, 21, of Montebello, California

Pfc. Evan A. Bath, 19, of Oak Creek, Wisconsin

Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class (Fleet Marine Force) Christopher Gnem, 22, of Stockton, California

Lance Cpl. Jack-Ryan Ostrovsky, 20, of Bend, Oregon

Lance Cpl. Guillermo S. Perez, 19, of New Braunfels, Texas

Cpl. Wesley A. Rodd, 22, of Harris, Texas

Lance Cpl. Chase D. Sweetwood, 18, of Portland, Oregon

Cpl. Cesar A. Villanueva, 21, of Riverside, California

Gnem was posthumously advanced to the rank of petty officer third class and posthumously awarded his enlisted Fleet Marine Force Warfare Specialist qualification, having met the criteria set by the Navy for both before his death.

Ostrovsky was posthumously advanced to the rank of lance corporal, having met the criteria set by the Marine Corps before his death.

Many Marines and Sailors took the opportunity to meet the families of their fallen brothers and offer condolences prior to the start of the ceremony.

A row of battlefield crosses and portraits of each Marine and Sailor were displayed at the outdoor event.

Col. Christopher J. Bronzi, commanding officer of the 15th MEU provided opening remarks.

“I think you’ll have an opportunity this morning to interact with and meet some of the men and women that knew your husbands, sons, fathers, and brothers better than anyone, other than yourselves,” said Bronzi. “As we experience this deep sadness at the loss of our brothers, I remain confident that the days ahead are shot through with hope – hope because men like them had the courage, the fortitude, and the commitment to train for and dedicate their lives in defense of this great nation.”

This was followed by an invocation from Navy Lt. Samuel Cho, BLT 1/4 chaplain, and the national anthem played by the 1st Marine Division Band.

Lt. Col. Michael J. Regner, commanding officer of BLT 1/4, addressed attendees.

“As our fallen hail from across this country and represent what’s finest about it, this truly is a national loss,” said Regner. “Our fallen brothers honor us by the manner with which they lived their lives, and we will never forget the last time we saw them … and now we remember them as they slip their earthly bonds, to give us overwatch from on high with God.”

The service concluded with 1st Sgt. Daniel Jacobson of Bravo Company, BLT 1/4 conducting the final roll call, a military ritual which pays tribute to fallen members of a unit by calling their names in formation for the last time in the Marine Corps to signify their absence, followed by the firing of a three-volley salute and the playing of “Taps”.

The Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. David H. Berger and Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Troy E. Black; Lt. Gen. Karsten S. Heckl, commanding general, I Marine Expeditionary Force; Maj. Gen. Robert F. Castellvi, commanding general, 1st Marine Division; and Rear Adm. Gregory N. Todd, Chaplain of the United States Marine Corps.

Final funeral arrangements for each Marine and Sailor will be made individually by their families.

Combat COVID-19 by donating plasma

 By Military Health System | August 20 | 2020

In June 2020, the , Department of Defense began an effort to collect donated units of plasma from patients who have fully recovered from COVID-19 to support the development of an effective treatment against the disease. The DoD’s goal is to obtain 10,000 COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma (CCP) units by September 30, 2020.

Donations will be accepted at Armed Services Blood Program donation centers across the continental United States, and in Hawaii, Guam and Germany, or through scheduled mobile collection drives.

Collected CCP will be available for treatment of COVID-positive patients in DoD treatment facilities who meet established criteria and in accordance with approved protocols. CCP may also be pre-positioned with Combatant Commands in the event of approval for prophylactic use.

CCP will be used to treat critically ill patients and to support the development of an effective treatment against the disease.

Collection of plasma from recovered COVID-19 beneficiaries will help the DoD develop therapeutics to support active duty service members to ensure readiness.

"This this the time to encourage the community to step up and donate — during a developing crisis — and help their brothers and sisters in arms stand ready. We are asking for you to continue scheduling and keep blood drive dates to the best of your ability. The is now." — Lt. Gen. Ronald L. Place, Director, Defense Health Agency

What is convalescent plasma?

Convalescent plasma is the liquid part of blood from patients who have recovered from an infection. Antibodies present in convalescent plasma are proteins that might help fight the coronavirus infection.

It is being investigated for the treatment of COVID-19 because there is no approved treatment for this disease at present.

How does it work?

The collection process for this type of plasma is the same as standard plasma collection. Here's how treatment works:

Recovered coronavirus patient donates plasma

Blood is tested

Plasma is stored and transported to hospital

Patient treated with plasma

Therapy complete

Patient may become donor

Through the blood donation process, this convalescent plasma is collected from a recovered person and transfused into a sick patient who is still fighting the virus. While it is not known for certain that the treatment will be effective, there is anecdotal evidence that suggests CCP may boost the immune system of the patient and help with the recovery process.

Are you eligible for this program?

The Armed Services Blood Program is currently looking for people who have fully recovered from the coronavirus to give convalescent plasma for seriously ill COVID-19 patients. You may quality if you:

Are at least 17 years old, weight at least 110 pounds and in good health, and feel well.

Have a prior diagnosis of COVID-19 and meet specific laboratory criteria

Are symptom-free of COVID-19 for 14 days of more

NOTE: If you have been pregnant, additional testing may be needed to determine if you have developed HLA antibodies since your last pregnancy.

Blood donor centers

Eligible donors should contact the Armed Services Blood Program at https://www.militaryblood.dod.mil/Donors/COVID-19andBloodDonation.aspx to find a complete list of available collection centers.

For safety and efficiency of the donation process for both donor and staff, please contact your local blood donor center FIRST before coming in to donate. If it is established you might be a candidate, a donation appointment will be set.

Once the appointment is confirmed, the donor must bring the required documentation and undergo the standard donation procedure.

Final determination will be made by the medical director or designee.

Task force donates COVID-19 supplies in Honduras

 By Maria Pinel | Defense.gov | August | 20 | 2020

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Southern Command's Joint Task Force Bravo donated personal protective equipment and medications through Southcom's humanitarian assistance program to support the municipalities of Villa de San Antonio, La Paz, Ajuterique and Lejamani in Honduras.

The donation included KN95 masks, gloves, gowns, booties, head covers, disinfecting supplies and medication to benefit the health care providers of the Roberto Suazo Cordova Hospital, a regional hospital that receives patients from all over La Paz. Donations were also provided to the emergency committees in the municipalities of Villa de San Antonio in the department of La Paz, and Ajuterique and Lejamani in the department of Comayagua for distribution to local health care clinics. The donations are valued at more than $52,000.

The task force continuously works to build partnerships to foster security, stability and prosperity for Honduran citizens through a variety of missions, including personal protective equipment donations in response to COVID-19 throughout the country, officials said.

Army Col. John Litchfield, the new task force commander, personally delivered the donations to meet with local mayors, health care leaders and authorities and to underscore the task force's commitment to supporting its partners and hosts in this time of need.

"We are committed to supporting your efforts in the fight against COVID-19," Litchfield said. "We are part of this community, and we are in this together. Your success is our success, and I look forward to continuing strengthening our partnership. We are together in this fight, and we are committed to supporting you as friends and neighbors."

Tribes, Nevada Guard combine efforts for COVID-19 testing

 By 2nd Lt. Emerson Marcus | 152 Airlift Wing | August 19 |  2020

RENO, Nev. – Nevada Army Guard Spc. Jermaine Longmire usually says “hello” when people drive through a Nevada National Guard-run COVID-19 test site.

But this summer he’s also said “How u” and “Behne” – both Paiute and Shoshone greetings, respectively.

“I’ve especially enjoyed working with the tribes because of the people and relationships I’ve made,” said Longmire, 25, who makes it a priority to learn the language of each tribe he’s visited, getting most of his tips from Cassandra Darrough, tribal emergency preparedness coordinator at the Nevada Division of Emergency Management.

“Spc. Longmire and the rest of the Nevada National Guard have done a fantastic job coordinating these efforts to keep the tribes safe,” Darrough said. “It’s been a seamless effort with DEM, the Guard and the tribes.”

From the Duckwater Shoshone Tribe in Nye County to the Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribe along Nevada’s northern border with Oregon, the Nevada National Guard aided tribes and rural communities around the state in their efforts to track the spread of COVID-19 this summer. During the past two months, the Nevada National Guard set up and operated 27 drive-thru collection sites – 10 of them on tribal land. These “strike teams” collected more than 10,000 test swabs in rural and tribal communities.

“This is really a historic moment,” said 2nd Lt. Kim Garback, the military officer in charge at the community-based collection sites. “This is a massive undertaking.”

Remote locations and cultural hurdles present unique challenges for the sample collection teams, Garback said.

That’s why he instituted a cultural immersion orientation with his Soldiers before setting up the COVID-19 sample collection sites, often held near community centers or Tribal health clinics.

“We can’t just walk in and say, ‘Hey, fellow Americans. …’ There are different cultural elements we need to be aware of. We have to work to understand that,” Garback, of the 1859th Transportation Company, Nevada Army National Guard, said at a sample-collection site at the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony July 24. “We want to help them on their terms, and that includes understanding their culture and language before we enter any of the 27 tribal nations in Nevada.”

Garback emphasized the importance of avoiding generic words such as “Native American,” preferring more specific identifiers: Western Shoshone, Northern & Southern Paiute or Washoe.

Garback oversees a team of about seven soldiers, including Longmire, to set up each site. An additional three to five Nevada Guard medics collect swab samples. The Nevada Guard’s large-scale, static sample-collection sites with about 80 personnel – two in Clark and one in Washoe – can collect up to 1,800 samples a day. The rural and tribal collection sites, with about one-eighth the staff, collect about 200 samples each day.

For Tribes, fear lies in the spread of close-knit, remote communities.

Alfreida Jake, Elko Band Te-moak Tribe environmental coordinator and emergency manager, said her tribe began to worry about COVID-19 after someone in the tribe’s community center tested positive in early July.

“We sent out a declaration to our people and put a curfew on,” Jake said. “That’s when everybody started getting afraid of it.”

Jake contacted the Division of Emergency Management, and within a week, members of the Guard arrived and set up a collection site.

“(Longmire) talked with our people and wasn’t shy,” she said. “He went that extra mile to learn. I was impressed with the Guard.”

Rural and tribal sites test asymptomatic and symptomatic cases. The goal is to pinpoint outbreaks quickly before they spread and then work to facilitate appropriate response and support for the community. The Nevada Guard is set for another community-based collection site visit to rural Nevada and tribes in Esmeralda County the last week of August.

“Testing is important because it’s impossible to fight an enemy without knowing where it is,” said Darrough, DEM’s Tribal coordinator and member of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe. “How do you defend your community if you don’t know where the illness is or where it’s moving? To find out where it is, we have to do the testing.

“Thanks to the assistance and support of the Guard, and from NDEM, our Tribes are building new capacity to test on their own as well as continue to provide support to their communities. Obviously, the operation the Guard conducted has been successful.”

Despite pandemic, mission changes, 829th soldiers on overseas

 By Spc. Nathan Metz | Wisconsin National Guard | August 19 |  2020

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Army National Guard’s 829th Engineer Company, spread across the Middle East and Southwest Asia, remains hard at work on a vast array of projects for coalition forces.

The Ashland and Spooner, Wisconsin-based unit mobilized for deployment in October and began its construction mission in support of an Army National Guard engineering battalion from Indiana.

The approximately 150 Soldiers have been spread across multiple locations throughout the region and work on a variety of projects improving facilities or completing construction projects.

The unit’s Soldiers have served in seven countries at 21 bases ranging from Afghanistan and Iraq to Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait.

The Soldiers still work and complete missions during the COVID-19 epidemic. The members of the 829th are implementing health and safety precautions to avoid the spread of the virus. They’ve even assisted with the construction of a COVID hospital in Afghanistan in addition to deconstructing facilities, building command posts, and completing other horizontal and vertical projects.

“The 829th will continue to take on any mission given with optimism and professionalism moving into the later months of this mobilization,” said company 1st Sgt. Sean Ringer of Wisconsin Rapids. “All the command staff throughout the Indiana-attached 113th Engineer Battalion have been thoroughly impressed with the eagerness of the 829th EVCC as well as the toughness that the Wisconsinites bring to Task Force Ironman Engineers.”

“I am most proud of the troops’ ability to remain resilient in an environment that has been restricted of simple conveniences,” Ringer said. “The gym’s shut down, bazaar’s closed up, and physical distancing makes maintenance of morale a difficult challenge.”

But as the overseas deployment nears its conclusion, Capt. Joe Tadisch, commander of the 829th Engineer Company, said the Soldiers have persevered and remained steadfast in completing their mission.

The command team emphasized the importance of communicating back home, ensuring that Soldiers are keeping in touch as much as possible with their families.

The 829th Engineer Company is one of several Wisconsin Army National Guard units deployed overseas now in support of the Guard's federal mission as the Army’s primary combat reserve.

The 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team’s Headquarters and approximately 160 Soldiers deployed to Ukraine last fall as part of Joint Multinational Training Group – Ukraine, where it served as the headquarters element for the training group at the International Peacekeeping and Security Center in western Ukraine. That unit returned to the U.S. in recent weeks.

The 400 Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry, returned after a 13-month mobilization to Afghanistan, where they are serving as the security element for an Army Security Force Assistance Brigade.

The 924th Engineer Facilities Detachment and the 1967th Contracting Team also mobilized for deployments to Kuwait and the Horn of Africa, respectively, in January and continue their missions overseas.

The Wisconsin National Guard simultaneously remains busy at home. More than 1,000 Citizen-Soldiers and -Airmen continue serving the state in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Guard also served as poll workers for April, May and August elections and responded to requests for assistance from cities across the state during civil disturbances in May and June.

NY Army Guard Soldiers win NE Best Warrior 3rd straight year

 

By Eric Durr | New York National Guard | August 19| 2020 

JERICHO, Vt. - For the third time in three years, two New York Army National Guard Soldiers are the best Guard Soldiers in the northeast.

The two Soldiers won in both the junior enlisted and noncommissioned officer categories of the Army National Guard’s Northeast Region Best Warrior Competition.

 Staff Sgt. Matthew Ortiz and Cpl. Troy Perez each bested seven Soldiers from the New England states and New Jersey during the August 13-16 competition run by the Vermont Army National Guard at Camp Ethan Allen in Jericho.

They will now compete in the nationwide Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition Sept. 13-16 at Camp Shelby, Mississippi.

Ortiz and Perez are members of the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry, based in Manhattan. Ortiz is assigned to the Headquarters Company, while Perez is a member of Alpha Company.

They’re also both emergency medical technicians in the New York City Fire Department who met while training at the city’s Emergency Medical Services Academy.

Their experience as EMTs and the bond they share outside the National Guard helped them do better at the Best Warrior events, Perez and Ortiz both said.

“Being an EMT, especially someplace like New York City, where the call volume and the workload is very high, it forces you to deal with extreme stress,” Perez said. “Other peoples’ lives are in your hands, so you have to be prepared to come to work and be mentally agile and fit for duty.”

In 2019, New York Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Martin Cozens and Cpl. Joseph Ryan, now a sergeant, won the Northeast Region Best Warrior Competition. Cozens is a member of the 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry, while Ryan is assigned to the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry.

In 2018, Spc. Ilya Titov, who is also now a sergeant, and Sgt. Quentin Davis, both members of the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry, won the regional event.

“It’s a pretty big deal over at the unit right now,” Ortiz said.

“We are following in the footsteps of these guys who came before us. It means a lot to us to make them proud of us,” he added.

Their route to the national Best Warrior Competition began when they took first place at the New York State Best Warrior Competition July 24-26 at Camp Smith Training Site near Peekskill.

The event was postponed from May due to the COVID-19 pandemic and there was a chance it would be canceled, but the Joint Force Headquarters NCOs who run it figured out how to do a pandemic-sensitive contest, said New York Army National Guard Command Sgt. Maj. David Piwowarski.

“The contestants wore masks during events that were not highly physical,” Piwowarski said. “And the staff wore masks, disinfected surface areas, worked to maintain social distancing and thermometers were available.”

Four to five days of competition was crammed into 30 hours of activity to lessen exposure to each other and make up for the last-minute scheduling, Piwowarski said.

“This year‘s competition was limited in some ways by COVID-19 protocols. However, there was no limit to the intensity of the competition or the contestants,” Piwowarski said.

Ortiz, from Bethpage, New York on Long Island, and Perez, who lives in Yorktown Heights in the Hudson Valley, trained together to get ready for the New York Best Warrior Competition and then to hone their technique for the regional event at Camp Ethan Allen.

“We stayed motivated and pushed each other every day,” Perez said.

They would also pick different places to run and train for the ruck march part of the competition.

“We’d take the American flag and run it across the Brooklyn Bridge,” said Ortiz. “It helped keep our morale up.”

Both men credited Ryan, one of the regional winners in 2019, with helping them prepare for the competition.

Ryan suggested ways to train and prepare and worked with Command Sgt. Maj. Shaun Butcher, 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry, who once won New York’s competition, to get the resources they needed to compete.

The regional competition, like the New York Best Warrior, included a fitness test, combat lane, day and night land navigation courses, an appearance board, Army warrior tasks, a written test, an essay and rifle and pistol course and a 12-mile road march with a full pack.

The surprise event – held between the day and night land navigation courses, was ax throwing.

The event, Ortiz explained, was included as a salute to Vermont’s Green Mountain Boys, the state’s first militia, which took Fort Ticonderoga from the British in 1775.

A tomahawk, or small ax, was part of their equipment and they were expected to keep it sharp and clean and be able to use it to start a fire or kill an enemy scout, he said.

The Soldiers were given a chance to practice and then threw axes at silhouette targets. Surprisingly, both Ortiz and Perez excelled in ax throwing.

“That was fun,” Perez said. “I had never thrown an ax in my life.”

“It turned out Ortiz and I both placed first in the ax throwing,” he added.

Now, their emphasis will be on getting ready for the national Army Guard Best Warrior event at Camp Shelby and see if they can replicate their wins there, and go on to the Army-wide Best Warrior.

“Our goal is to find our weak points by looking back at the other competitions and knowing what we did and what we can improve on,” Perez said. “We need to look at the minor details now to really perfect our training.”

Two Early-American war veterans honored in Michigan

 

By Bruce Huffman | Michigan National Guard | August 19 | 2020

PINCKNEY, Mich. – The graves of father and son Claudius Britton II and III, who both fought in Early-American wars and died in Michigan, were marked and dedicated at the Pinckney Cemetery Aug. 8.

Claudius Britton II enlisted in the militia in 1777 at the age of 16 and served as a scout with Vermont’s Green Mountain Continental Rangers in the Revolutionary War. He was captured by the British in 1778 and imprisoned in a Quebec dungeon until 1783. His son, Claudius Britton III, briefly fought for the Vermont militia during the War of 1812, sometimes referred to as the “Second War of Independence” because it was the first large-scale test of the American republic since the Revolutionary War.

In 1824, the Brittons moved to the mid-Michigan area and established a family farm in what is now Ann Arbor. According to Elijah Shalis of the Huron Valley Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, when Britton II applied for his war pension, John Allen, one of the cofounders of Ann Arbor, vouched for his character. Unfortunately, his pension was denied because of the time he spent as a British prisoner of war.

According to records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, at most only 3,000 Revolutionary War veterans drew any pension because the Continental Congress did not have the money to make the payments. This obligation was carried out in varying degrees by the states. Michigan was not officially admitted to the union until 1837.

The Brittons moved to Pinckney in 1836 where they spent the rest of their days. The father died in 1850, and Claudius Britton III died one year later, finding their final resting places side-by-side in Pinckney Cemetery, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

“It is important that we recognize people for their service, especially these two wars,” said Shalis.

Bronze emblems were installed to mark the graves and the headstones were repaired. Military honors were provided at the ceremony by the Sons of the American Revolution, the Michigan Society of the War of 1812, and the American Legion Post 419 in Pinckney. Michigan National Guard Army Command Sgt. Maj. Catherine A. Farrell was among those who spoke at the event.

“Just as it was for the Brittons in 1824, Michigan is still a great place for veterans to settle, work and raise a family,” Farrell said. “The Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency and Veterans Homes serve as the central coordinating point for all veterans in Michigan. We’re committed to connecting all veterans and their families to the programs, initiatives and benefits they deserve.”

The oldest component of America’s armed forces, the National Guard was etched from the Early-American militias responsible for protecting the English colonies.

“Today, we honor two of our own,” said Farrell. “The Michigan National Guard considers all veterans and their families ’Members for Life’, at every stage of their service. It begins the moment they put on the uniform, and lasts a lifetime.”

The Dubois Family Doubles Down

 CAMP BUEHRING |  KUWAIT | 08.21.2020 | Story by Sgt. Sydney Mariette 

CAMP BUEHRING, KUWAIT— “I wouldn't say that military service is a tradition in my family,” said Spc. Sarah Dubois. “But it’s pretty nice having all my siblings serve.”

As an airfield management specialist with Alpha Company, 834th Aviation Support Battalion, Sarah is currently deployed with her sister, Pfc. Nicole Dubois, an automated logistic specialist with the same unit. Both sisters are extremely new to the unit, having both come to Alpha Company straight from their Advanced Individual Training (AIT) courses.

“I still had a month left of AIT when our company began to mobilize at Fort Hood,” said Sarah. “It's been super reliving to have my sister here, as I didn't know anyone when I got here.”

Not only do the sisters have support of each other in theater, they also have their three other siblings, Heidi, Matthew, and Sarah’s twin sister Samantha, at home in Minnesota. With all the Dubois having served with the Minnesota National Guard, it forges a strong bond of understanding for the siblings both in and out of uniform.

“It began with my eldest sister, Heidi, and eventually we all joined,” said Nicole. “It’s helpful because we can talk to them and they can all relate to our experiences.”

Their eldest sister Heidi deployed to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait in 2018-2019 with the 34th Infantry Division, and provided some much-needed insight into what to expect on a deployment to the Middle East to her younger sisters. She completed her first enlisted contract and has since decided to pursue other career paths outside of the National Guard.

Spc. Matthew Dubois and Pfc. Samantha Dubois are both military police with the 34th Military Police Company based out of Stillwater, Minnesota. They anticipated a busy year in 2020, as they prepared for their first deployment in August to the Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in support of Joint Task Force Guantanamo to provide base security. However, with the escalation of civil unrest in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, Matthew and Samantha joined the more than 5,000 other Minnesota National Guard members called up to protect life, property and maintain order within the city of Minneapolis and surrounding areas in May 2020.

“The riots made me nervous for my siblings,” said Nicole. “I knew that people were throwing rocks at them and I just didn’t want them to get hurt.”

“I was shocked,” said Sarah. “I didn’t realize how severe things were getting at home.”

Shocked and anxious for their family and fellow service members at home, Sarah and Nicole watched the rising tensions in the Twin Cities and the COVID-19 pandemic sweep through their state and nation from afar. Every Soldier deployed with the 34th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade felt this anguish and tension at home. When preparing for deployment, military families expect the deployed Soldier to face the majority of the hardships. However, in many ways 2020 has tested us all at home and abroad.

“While on deployment it feels like your whole life stops for a year,” said Nicole. “But, with COVID-19 and everything I feel like everyone else at home had to put their life on hold as well.”

As Sarah and Nicole enter into the final stage of their 10-month deployment to the Middle East in support of Operation Inherent Resolve and Operation Spartan Shield, Matthew and Samantha have just begun theirs. The overlap in deployments means that the Dubois family will not be fully present for over two years.

“It truly is heartbreaking knowing that I won't see them for two years,” said Sarah. “Especially my twin sister, I'm going to miss her a bunch. We've never missed a birthday together until this year.”

Despite the challenges they face as a military family, the Dubois continue to serve proudly, with Sarah even volunteering to extend her deployment with the incoming aviation unit for another year.

“My siblings are my best friends,” said Sarah. “We’d pretty much do everything together.” Serving their state and nation in the Minnesota National Guard is just one of the many things the Dubois siblings do together as a family.

Imagery Available: U.S. Coast Guard carries out support of joint Arctic missions

 ATLANTIC OCEAN | 08.21.2020 | Story by Senior Chief Petty Officer Sara Muir 

KITTERY, Maine — The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Campbell (WMEC 909) will relieve the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Tahoma (WMEC 908) on Arctic patrol, Sunday near Greenland.

In mid-July, Tahoma began operations for the overall two-month patrol to the Arctic in support of joint operations Nanook and Argus, to secure the maritime domain, protect resources, and strengthen partnerships.

"I've been doing this for more than 33 years and thought I'd seen everything until I saw how positively this crew responded. There's nothing more humbling than being surrounded by such a great crew. Their families and friends should all be proud of them; that they accomplished something important and accomplished it with style. They represented themselves, their families, their Service, and their country as well as could ever be expected. The finest traditions of the Coast Guard are alive and well within the Tahoma crew," said Cmdr. Eric Johnson, commanding officer, Tahoma.

As the Nation's primary maritime presence in the Polar Regions, the Coast Guard advances our national interests through a unique blend of polar operational capability, regulatory authority, and international leadership across the full spectrum of maritime governance.

"The Coast Guard has been in the Arctic for over 150 years," said Capt. Thomas Crane, commanding officer, Campbell. "This signature exercise began in 2007. We are committed to enhancing our multinational capability to operate effectively in the dynamic Arctic domain, strengthening the rules-based order through the presence and joint efforts, and adapting to promote regional resilience and prosperity. We are proud to bring USCGC Campbell back to Greenland as the previous Campbell (W32) supported Coastal Operations in and around Greenland during World War II."

These exercises evaluate interoperability and build relationships between responders to identify shortfalls in communication and coordination of efforts. Each agency holds individual capabilities that complement each other's efforts and bolsters the overall success of the regional defense and SAR system. The purpose is to continue building and improving operational cohesion between different agencies and the Coast Guard.

Tahoma participated in patrols and mutual exchanges with partners as part of Operation Nanook. Inuit for polar bears, Nanook is an annual joint exercise and the Canadian armed forces' signature northern operation, which comprises a series of comprehensive, joint, interagency, and multinational activities designed to exercise regional defense and secure our polar regions. The Coast Guard is primarily supporting Nanook-Tuugalik, a defense readiness and security exercise, with multiple foreign partners off Northern Canada involving U.S. Navy 2nd Fleet, Royal Canadian navy and coast guard, the Danish navy, French navy, Royal Canadian air force, and multiple Canadian federal, state, local, and tribal agencies. This year crowns a decade of Operation Nanook.

Tahoma participated in Operation Argus, a three-day search and rescue exercise in Greenland's coastal search area with the Danish navy, French navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and Air Greenland. Campbell will also conduct exchanges, fisheries boardings to safeguard resources and protect domestic fisheries and serve as a platform for research and innovation.

"We continue to work with our allies and partners to ensure a safe, secure, and cooperative Arctic, even as our aspiring near-peer competitors maneuver for strategic advantage in the area," said Vice Adm. Steven Poulin, commander, Coast Guard Atlantic Area. "We are leaning forward, and our persistent presence continues to counter those entities' efforts as the strategic value, economic, and scientific importance of the Arctic grows."

Tahoma and Campbell's home port is the historic Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine. Both cutters have a crew of roughly 100 who regularly patrol the Atlantic from Canada to the Caribbean. Like the other Famous-class cutters, they are designed and built for multi-mission operations, including law enforcement, search and rescue, marine environmental protection, and defense readiness.

Due to COVID-19, the service is taking extensive precautions and closely monitoring all operations. As needed, unit schedules adapted to ensure missions occur as planned. Any port calls or personnel exchanges are evaluated for risk and conducted in close coordination with the host nation and relevant agencies.

Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard & IMF successfully undocks USS Columbia (SSN 771)

 PEARL HARBOR | HI | UNITED STATES | 07.16.2020 | Story by Ashleigh Whitney 

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii – Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PHNSY & IMF) successfully undocked Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Columbia (SSN 771) July 16, 2020. The undocking was a major milestone in completing the submarine’s engineered overhaul (EOH) availability.

To achieve this milestone, the project team, ship’s force, and shipyard docking team collaborated to complete all required work, testing and documentation to ensure a safe and timely evolution.

“Thanks to the hard work of the project team, ship’s crew, and docking team, Columbia is now one step closer to completing her EOH,” said Shipyard Commander Captain Greg Burton. “We are looking forward to getting Columbia completed and her warfighting capabilities back to the fleet.”

An EOH is a major multi-year overhaul near the mid-point of a submarine's service life to perform necessary repairs, maintenance and modernization to certify the submarine for unrestricted operations and to ensure the submarine is operating at full technical capacity and mission capability for its entire designed service life.

Columbia has been at PHSNY & IMF since October 2018. The ship’s EOH will require approximately 359,000 work-days to complete all required maintenance, modernizations and certifications necessary to return the ship to the fleet.

The team supporting Columbia’s EOH has a broad spectrum of skills that spans across the shipyard. Team members include project management, contracting specialists, quality assurance, engineering, shop and waterfront mechanics, docking officials and private industry all working together with a shared vision to achieve each milestone throughout the availability.

Commissioned in 1995, Columbia was the last 688-class submarine to be built at Electric Boat Shipyard in Groton, Connecticut. Columbia is one of the most versatile weapons platforms ever placed in the world's oceans, capable of long-range Tomahawk strike operations, anti-submarine and surface shipping operations, surveillance and intelligence gathering, and special forces insertions.

56th CES works ahead of schedule, garners $1.4 miliion in funding toward Luke's infrastructure

 By Airman 1st Class Dominic Tyler | 56th Fighter Wing | Published August 20 | 2020

Senior Airman Natalee Barker, 56th Civil Engineer Squadron Operations Element operations manager, speaks with a customer to obtain needed infrastructure data for the requirements and optimization team Aug. 11, 2020, at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. Engineers use the data to determine the order of priority of work orders before assigning teams to take action. The 56th CES builds, maintains and protects the future of airpower through ensuring a safe work environment for nearly 7,000 personnel who live and work on base. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Dominic Tyler)

Staff Sgt. Kenny Chung, 56th Civil Engineer Squadron Operations Element heating, ventilation and air conditioning subject matter expert, inventories and inspects HVAC equipment Aug. 11, 2020, at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. HVAC systems provide thermal comfort and acceptable indoor air quality. The 56th CES builds, maintains and protects the future of airpower through ensuring a safe work environment for nearly 7,000 personnel who live and work on base. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Dominic Tyler)

Second Lt. Ben Rieben, 56th Civil Engineer Squadron Operations Element requirements and optimization officer in charge, presents a base map on the current status of infrastructure across the installation Aug. 11, 2020, at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. The color of each building indicates the relative state of that facilities overall infrastructure. The 56th CES builds, maintains and protects the future of airpower through ensuring a safe work environment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Dominic Tyler)